Episodes

  • Local events across the East End celebrate first weekend of Spring

    Local events across the East End celebrate first weekend of Spring
    Mar 20 2026

    WLIW-FM gives us something to believe in. If you’re enjoying this podcast, consider a donation today, during our Spring Fund Drive.

    Donate here

    Can’t afford to make a donation? Rate and review this show on your favorite podcast platform, and send this show to just 1 person who could benefit from it. Word of mouth makes our community stronger.

    ***

    Riverhead residents are seeing spikes on their tax bills after a judge ordered the town to pay $6 million to refund the owner of the Friar's Head golf course. The judgment includes $1.6 million in accrued interest. Last year, Riverhead Town residents were on the hook for nearly $2.8 million in tax refunds. This year's total was $7.2 million — the lion's share of which stems from the Friar's Head refund. The Town of Riverhead valued the course property as high as $34 million in 2015. A judge lowered the appraisal to $11.6 million.

    Tara Smith reports in NEWSDAY that the tax dispute dates back nearly two decades after the course's owner filed a lawsuit challenging the town’s assessment of the 350-acre property. The land includes an 18-hole championship golf course, clubhouse, three guest cottages and a helipad, according to court documents.

    Some residents opening their tax envelopes this year were surprised to see a 160% jump in the “New York State Real Property Tax Law” line without any explanation. The line, featured on all Suffolk tax bills, is used to cover tax refunds across each of the county's 10 towns.

    Laverne Tennenberg, who chairs Riverhead’s board of assessors, acknowledged the chargeback is having an impact on tax bills this year. The town made its case for valuing the 85 acres, where there was potential for new housing, she said. Riverhead officials said a developer could subdivide that property to create up to 55 residential lots, a move that would significantly increase the property's overall value. But a judge rejected that argument since the golf course never sought to subdivide the land or build housing there.

    “We presented a methodology about the excess land. The judge didn’t want to hear it,” she told NEWSDAY. “There’s nothing we can do about it.” She did not say what the average impact will be on residents’ tax bills, noting it depends on individual property values.

    Riverhead, like most towns in Suffolk, has not conducted a townwide reassessment since 1980, Tennenberg said. The Town of Riverhead has a population of more than 36,000, according to recent U.S. Census data.

    Just two Suffolk towns, Shelter Island and Southampton, have reassessed since 1980, according to the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance. Southampton's last reassessment was in 2019, while Shelter Island's was in 2025.

    ***

    There are a couple of local events tomorrow that allow us to affordably celebrate the first weekend of Spring 2026.

    They're free and all are invited.

    Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that Greenport Village holds its annual Earth Day Early Spring Cleanup in Moore’s Woods Saturday morning…that’s tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 12 Noon. Meet at the Moore’s Woods Trailhead at the dead end of Webb Street, or at Monsell Trail and North Street. Bring gloves, tick spray, wagons, or grabbers. For further info visit https://villageofgreenport.gov/event/annual-moores-woods-clean-up-event/

    In Hampton Bays tomorrow, The Hampton Bays Hibernians will hold their annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, stepping off from Ponquogue Avenue at 11 a.m.

    The Hampton Bays St. Patrick’s Day Parade has been a cherished tradition since its first march in 2006. From the very beginning, one of the group’s main goals has been to create a hometown St. Patrick’s Day Parade that honors Irish heritage and brings the community together.

    Tomorrow’s parade starts at 11 a.m. near the Hampton Bays American Legion Post 924 and proceeds to Montauk Highway then west through the center of the hamlet. Spectators are expected to line the route to watch pipe bands, school marching bands, community organizations, local businesses, fire departments and colorful floats.
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    5 mins
  • Trump war in Iran threatens farmer livelihoods on East End

    Trump war in Iran threatens farmer livelihoods on East End
    Mar 19 2026
    WLIW-FM gives us something to believe in. If you’re enjoying this podcast, consider a donation today, during our Spring Fund Drive.Donate hereCan’t afford to make a donation? Rate and review this show on your favorite podcast platform, and send this show to just 1 person who could benefit from it. Word of mouth makes our community stronger.***The number of cars hitting deer on Long Island rose 75% over eight years to the highest level on record, a consequence of what biologists say is severe overpopulation of deer on the East End and Suffolk County North Shore that's spreading west.Southold Town Highway Department worker Fred Friedberg, a 42 year veteran, has seen the aftermath firsthand — he's had to remove an increasing number of dead deer, as many as six a day. More than 220 deer, roughly one per mile, were killed on north fork roadways in a single year, according to Southold Town Police."It can be nasty, gruesome," said the 61-year-old maintenance mechanic who lives in Cutchogue."The deer are literally running into cars," said Jean Thatcher, the mayor of Lloyd Harbor, a village in the Town of Huntington that also has a large deer population. "It's an extremely serious problem of public safety, public health and environmental degradation."Peter Gill reports in NEWSDAY that around 570 deer strikes were reported in 2016, increasing to about 1,000 in 2024, according to data from the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles, which goes back to 2009. Crashes are most common in Suffolk County, but in Nassau, deer strikes rose from just 11 in 2016 to nearly 70 in 2024. All the figures may be undercounts, since drivers are only required to report deer-vehicle crashes when there is significant property damage or injury, and even then, they don't always do so.Biologists say that with the elimination of their natural predators, and suburban landscapes providing plenty of food, the ungulates likely number in the tens of thousands across Long Island — though no one knows the exact number because there is no large-scale census, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.The increase in deer strikes is not explained by changes in traffic volume or worsening driving behaviors alone. Over the same period that deer-vehicle crashes rose 75% on Long Island, the cumulative miles driven stayed roughly steady. Meanwhile, the total number of non-deer crashes did rise, but only by about 21%.Drivers are advised to use precautions such as driving slowly. But biologists say the most effective way to reduce deer crashes is through hunting and deer culls, though some say restrictions have reduced culling's effectiveness. Deer crashes are most common during mating season, when they are most active, from October to December — especially around sunset.AAA advises drivers to be extra vigilant, use high beams when appropriate and remember that deer travel in groups — so if you see one, expect others.***Two East End towns are taking steps to spur new accessory apartments in the hopes of alleviating the region's affordable housing crisis. Alek Lewis and Tara Smith report in NEWSDAY that East Hampton is weighing a package of zone changes and financial incentives to encourage more accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, apartments that share property with a single-family home, either within the home or in a detached structure such as a garage.The Town of East Hampton is looking to eliminate a ban on second homeowners from creating ADUs. Officials also plan to lower minimum lot size requirements so more properties are eligible to build the apartments.On Tuesday, the Town of Riverhead overhauled its ADU rules, streamlining the permitting process and abolishing the approval requirement of a review board. The new law increased the townwide cap of ADUs to 500. In East Hampton, ADUs can be up to two bedrooms and between 300 and 1,200 square feet. In Riverhead, they can have no more than one bedroom and must be between 400 and 1,000 square feet. In both towns, ADUs cannot be used for short-term rentals.Interest in ADUs has jumped on Long Island, Newsday has reported. For homeowners, the apartments can mean extra income or a separate living space for a family member.In New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani plans to launch tools to support ADU development. Some Long Island governments have rejected calls over worries about increased traffic and stress on public services.East Hampton officials see ADUs as valuable for increasing housing stock on the South Fork, where home prices have climbed to record levels and affordable housing options are limited.In East Hampton, ADUs are considered affordable housing and must be rented at or under prices established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.In Riverhead, the ADU permit process will now be handled entirely by the town's building department. Previously, a now-defunct review board oversaw the approval process.The law increases the allowed maximum size of ADUs. The...
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    6 mins
  • Federal judge overturns arrest by ICE of Long Island man

    Federal judge overturns arrest by ICE of Long Island man
    Mar 18 2026

    In a scathing opinion, a federal judge has overturned the arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents of a Long Island man and criticized the agency’s actions amid a mass deportation campaign as "a proverbial recipe for disaster." Bart Jones reports in NEWSDAY that Eastern District Judge Gary R. Brown on Monday ruled that ICE agents broke the law when they arrested an immigrant from El Salvador in Suffolk County in February since he had a valid juvenile immigrant visa and a work permit.

    Brown said the arrest of William Enrique Sanchez Alfaro, 25, of Coram, by three experienced ICE agents called into question their training and the policies the agency was following as President Donald Trump pursues the largest deportation effort in U.S. history. "While the facts elicited about the arrest and detention of Petitioner are brutal and unacceptable, the evidence highlights a more systemic concern: the officers who testified — all sworn to uphold the law — proved unaware of and oblivious to the requirements of the law," wrote Brown, a Trump-appointed judge.

    "Importantly, these officers were not ‘rookies’ — each had more than a decade’s experience in immigration enforcement," he wrote. "The combination of the officers’ lack of training and preparation and the extraordinary pressure to exponentially increase the number of immigration arrests results in a proverbial recipe for disaster."

    Judge Brown gave ICE 21 days to return to court to show it is taking steps to "ensure that future ICE enforcement actions within the Eastern District of New York shall be conducted in a lawful manner."

    In a previous ruling, Brown lambasted an ICE holding cell in Central Islip as cold, "putrid and cramped."

    Sanchez Alfaro arrived in the United States as an unaccompanied minor in 2018 and was granted a Special Juvenile Immigrant Status visa in 2022, according to court papers.

    Sanchez Alfaro has no criminal record, was working in his family’s welding business, paid his taxes and was a "model citizen," according to sworn statements submitted to the court.

    Patrick Young, a professor of immigration law at Hofstra Law School, called Brown’s ruling an important move toward reining in the agency.

    "This is not just about one case, but this is about the entire procedure of ICE here on Long Island," Young said.

    ***

    The next No Kings nationwide mobilization is scheduled for Saturday, March 28. As posted on MoveOn.org, “Last June, three million of us came together for the first No Kings. Then, 7 million in October. And now, March 28 is on track to be the largest No Kings mobilization yet and the largest nonviolent demonstration in U.S. history.”

    Per nokings.org, this Saturday’s demonstrations are supposed to be, “…a nonviolent national day of action and mass mobilization in response to the increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption of the Trump administration.”

    Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that local organizers are holding events across the twin forks in Riverhead, Hampton Bays, Greenport, Sag Harbor and East Hampton.

    The Greenport protest begins the day’s events, from 10 a.m. to Noon in Mitchell Park, with speakers, protest artists and music followed by a march through the village.

    Riverhead NoKings organizers are planning a two-mile, one-hour march beginning at 12 noon Saturday at Riverhead High School led by Riverhead and Greenport students who organized anti-ICE walkouts from their high schools in January. The march is expected to go from Riverhead High School to Town Hall and then to the Suffolk County Supreme Court building at 235 Griffing Avenue in Riverhead with a culminating rally at 1:30 p.m.

    Saturday’s Sag Harbor event will be held at Steinbeck Park from 11 a.m. to noon. The East Hampton event will be held on the front lawn of East Hampton Town Hall from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Organizers are asking attendees to carpool due to limited parking at East Hampton Town Hall and no street parking. Free shuttle buses will run from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. from Atlantic Beach.

    The Hampton Bays event, organized by Indivisible Long Island, will be held from Noon to 2 p.m. on Montauk Highway between The Atrium and Good Ground Cemetery. It will include an optional march to Ponquogue Avenue and back. Indivisible Long Island is also organizing a rally at the Riverhead County Center (300 Center Drive in Riverside) at 9 a.m. Saturday — this is a separate event from the downtown Riverhead afternoon rally.
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    5 mins
  • Consider a donation to WLIW-FM today!

    Consider a donation to WLIW-FM today!
    Mar 17 2026
    WLIW-FM gives us something to believe in. If you’re enjoying this podcast, consider a donation today, during our Spring Fund Drive.Donate hereCan’t afford to make a donation? Rate and review this show on your favorite podcast platform, and send this show to just 1 person who could benefit from it. Word of mouth makes our community stronger.***Two years after sailing into history, Long Island native Cole Brauer...who grew up in Springs...is most at home in motion — whether blasting through the ocean or traveling in the van she lives out of: the “Silver Vixen.”Brauer, a 31-year-old, 2012 East Hampton High School graduate and world-famous ocean racer, has kept busy since making history as the first American woman to circumnavigate the globe solo in a sailboat. She's been working at marinas and making professional speeches and has written a memoir.Alek Lewis reports in NEWSDAY that Brauer completed a 130-day, 27,000‑mile solo circumnavigation of the globe as part of the Global Solo Challenge. She placed second in a race against more than a dozen male sailors. She left from the northwest tip of Spain on Oct. 29, 2023, and completed the treacherous trip on March 7, 2024.“It was an amazing opportunity to be able to go around the planet,” she told NEWSDAY during a recent trip back to East Hampton.By the time she crossed the start line, Brauer had logged enough miles to have circled the globe twice. She rebuilt her boat around her own needs, knew every tool on the vessel, and completed extensive medical and safety training.Brauer documented the journey on Instagram, where she has amassed close to a half million followers.Her memoir, “First Light,” chronicles her Bonac upbringing, the beginning of her sailing career and her historic trip. The book is scheduled to be released in September.Brauer, who is 5-feet-2-inches and weighs 100 pounds, hardly fit the stereotype of an ocean racer, she said. “It’s a super male-dominated sport,” she said.“You have to be competing at the exact same level — if not higher — if you want to be able to compete against [men], and I find that challenge amazing and wonderful,” she said.The book discusses the “trials and tribulations of what it was like being a woman in a very male, older, white [sailing] community and everything that comes with that,” she said.Randi Cherill, who was an athletic trainer at East Hampton High School when Brauer was a student, followed the trip on social media. She said she is fortunate to have played a role in Brauer’s journey as an athlete.“What she was able to accomplish, and what she was able to do, is astounding,” Cherill said. “That’s what we like to see with our athletes and our former athletes, and who they grow up to be.”***The long-term parking lot in East Hampton Village is getting a gated entry, an electric vehicle charging station and 26 new spaces as part of its first face-lift in years, which started earlier this month. Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that as part of the work, East Hampton Village officials plan to combine the long-term lot with the neighboring smaller lot to create one facility. At the entrance will be a parking booth and gate. The East Hampton Village Board approved the renovations in a flurry of three resolutions, totaling over $1.4 million, in February.“It’s kind of a blind spot in the village that we want to tighten up, and we want to make more efficient, both for public safety and for enforcement,” said Village of East Hampton Administrator Marcos Baladron.He said the lot will always remain free because the village needs the lot for spillover parking, which allows downtown employees to park during the work day.Village officials, per Baladron, are also in the early planning stages of building a new playground at Herrick Park, and he said the new parking lot will help prepare for the additional parking that may be needed.Also onsite is a new firehouse barn that village officials plan to use for storing and displaying antique firetrucks, of which the East Hampton Fire Department has many. The building will double as a means of filling a public safety blind spot.“It’s going to be used for recruitment, and it’s going to be where the public can kind of go see those antiques and enjoy it, number one,” Baladron said. “Number two, it gives us the ability to have internet access in that area, which is kind of far away from many of our other buildings.”This will allow for additional security, Baladron said, in an area where many East Hampton Village employees, currently, have to walk back to their cars in the dark at the end of the work day.“It’s kind of needed that face-lift anyway,” he said. “If we weren’t merging the two lots, we probably would have just fixed it anyway, so we’re doing that as well. On an improvement level, it’s better. On a safety level, it’s better. I think it’s just going to be a better, more efficient lot.”The work will...
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    5 mins
  • Winter wreaks havoc on oyster crops and farmer worries

    Winter wreaks havoc on oyster crops and farmer worries
    Mar 16 2026
    WLIW-FM gives us something to believe in. If you’re enjoying this podcast, consider a donation today, when every donation is being matched by our Board of Trustees.Donate hereCan’t afford to make a donation? Rate and review this show on your favorite podcast platform, and send this show to just 1 person who could benefit from it. Word of mouth makes our community stronger.***This winter wreaked havoc on oyster crops across Long Island, leaving farmers with damaged gear and considerable financial losses. Tara Smith reports in NEWSDAY that as temperatures have tamed, Long Island oyster farmers are back on the water assessing damages and plotting a path forward after an extreme winter that also left a mark on badly eroded beaches and ripped apart docks. The damage has set off a scavenger hunt to recoup equipment as the rebuild gets underway. Growers said the impacts could be felt for the next few years.Most of the 50 members of the Long Island Oyster Growers Association reported crop and gear losses, according to Eric Koepele, the industry group’s president.Preliminary data from an industry survey shows 33% crop loss and $2.4 million in projected gear replacement costs. Koepele said those numbers could climb as a clearer picture emerges.The data collected in Long Island Oyster Growers Association’s survey was shared with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) has asked the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to declare a fishery disaster to bring relief funding to cash-strapped farmers faced with daunting costs to replace equipment and oyster seed. New cages can cost $300 apiece, farmers said.Oyster farming on Long Island is enjoying a resurgence. Once globally acclaimed, the industry on Long Island was nearly decimated because of overharvesting and deteriorating water quality. New York State has a $4.4 million oyster industry with about 84 farms, according to a recent report by Farm Credit East, a financial institution for agriculture businesses.Peter Stein, who owns Peeko Oysters on the Peconic Bay in New Suffolk, said he lost “thousands” of floating cages.A line of those cages was carried 12 miles east, where the equipment entangled in the propeller of a North Ferry vessel, according to general manager Bridg Hunt.The Long Island Oyster Growers Association asks anyone who spots gear to take photos and send an email with a location to info@liogany.org.***Sitting in Gardiners Bay, just beyond Long Island's North Fork, is a mysterious 840-acre dot of land known as Plum Island. Tiffany Cusaac-Smith reports in NEWSDAY that over the years, it has been the focus of intense interest, ranging from those who want to conserve its natural wonders to those with conspiracy theories about the animal disease federal government research conducted there. Plum Island has even been the subject of a thriller by one of Long Island's most famous writers.Last week, it was the preservationist vision of the mostly undeveloped island that took center stage during a Zoom presentation to the Long Island Regional Planning Council. The Preserve Plum Island Coalition, which includes municipalities, wildlife advocates and others from Long Island and Connecticut, said it wants the island to include a wildlife refuge or other protected land that allows for equitable public access to the island.Plum Island is home to wildlife such as the state-endangered piping plovers, and nearly 230 bird species that enjoy its freshwater wetlands, advocates say. It hosts a lighthouse and Fort Terry, which was built by the military in the 20th century to ward off naval assault. Between 1954 and 2025, the island housed a federally run animal disease center that studied livestock infections such as foot-and-mouth disease.The coalition’s plan for Plum Island envisions people being able to visit the lighthouse and a research area with limited public access. The group also would like to see nature trails, cultural exhibitions and a historical district around Fort Terry."We're trying to secure the permanent protection of the significant natural and historical and cultural resources of Plum Island," said Robert DeLuca, president of the Group for the East End, which is part of the coalition.But there may be obstacles, the coalition said. Currently, Plum Island is in the hands of the federal government while contaminated research facilities are decommissioned. After that, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), which functions like the federal government’s Realtor, will identify potential caretakers of the property.Louise Harrison, of the Save the Sound and Preserve Plum Island Coalition, said that the GSA will determine whether federal or state agencies, the county, the Town of Southold or nonprofit organizations have an interest in the property. If no owner is identified, she said, it will go "on the auction block.""This is something we must prevent," Harrison said. "We're working assiduously to ...
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    5 mins
  • Future of EPCAL remains unsettled

    Future of EPCAL remains unsettled
    Mar 13 2026
    President Donald Trump is pushing hard for a bill he says will address concerns about illegal voting, including permitting only U.S. citizens to vote in federal elections. Among the controversial provisions in the bill’s current iteration are requirements for individuals to present proof of citizenship to register to vote. That could create hurdles for New Yorkers who either don't have a passport or whose legal name doesn't match the name on their birth certificate. Billy House reports in NEWSDAY that an estimated 3.8 million New York women have a name that does not match their birth certificate, usually because they changed their name upon marriage, according to numbers provided by Administration Committee Democrats. When a name on a birth certificate doesn’t match the voter’s current name because of marriage, or for other reasons, the applicants for registration would be required submit additional documents that explain the discrepancy.Those requirements alone could impact millions of New Yorkers, numbers provided by the House Committee on Administration’s top Democrat, Rep. Joe Morelle (D-Rochester), show.For instance, roughly 28.9% of New Yorkers do not have passports. At a cost of $130 per passport, the SAVE Act could force New Yorkers to pay over $665 million if they need to use a passport to register to vote.And there is that other problem which mostly hits women voters — they are more likely to change their names upon marriage or divorce and would require additional documents to show proof of that name change.The upshot is an expected marathon of Senate floor debates next week.***The Southampton Town Board this week unanimously approved the purchase of 35 acres of wooded land in Hampton Bays just to the west and north of the town’s Jackson Avenue complex, on which it plans to construct a sewage treatment plant that someday would be connected to a sewer system serving the Hampton Bays business district. Michael Wright reports on 27east.com that last month, the board had heard complaints from one immediate neighbor of the property and residents of a neighborhood about 1,000 feet away on the opposite side of Old Riverhead Road that the plans would hurt their property values.But town officials said on Tuesday that the proposal is a critical cog that will bring sweeping benefits to the whole the Hampton Bays community — and will have far fewer impacts on neighbors once completed than feared. “Modern facilities like this are very different than older plants — the tanks are enclosed with odor controls, so there should be no noticeable odors from this at all,” the town’s planning and development administrator, Janice Scherer, said on Tuesday. She added that the buildings also will be soundproof, so the system will emit little to no noise, and much of the system is fully automated, so it will not require regular staffing and traffic from maintenance vehicles.And the plant will provide much greater improvements to water quality than putting homes and businesses on individual modernized septic systems would.The Town of Southampton will pay the land’s owner $3.2 million from the Community Preservation Fund’s dedicated water quality account for about 31 acres of the land, and another $465,000 from the town’s general fund for about 4.8 acres that will ultimately be folded into the Jackson Avenue facilities. The town is in the midst of designing a redevelopment plan to someday accommodate more town offices relocated from the current Town Hall in Southampton Village.The treatment facility will take up about 6 acres of the larger property, at the southern end closest to Old Riverhead Road. The rest of the property will remain as open woodlands, at the edge of the Long Island Pine Barrens.It will take the town at least four to five years to design and build the sewage treatment plant and begin constructing the sewer system for the downtown. When completed, the sewers have been seen as a key component to allowing a redevelopment of the Hampton Bays downtown to incorporate mixed residential-commercial areas in hopes of revitalizing the hamlet’s business district.***St. Patrick’s Day parades throughout the East End begin this weekend, with Westhampton Beach’s annual parade stepping off Saturday at 12 noon from the elementary school on Mill Road, led by Grand Marshal Allyson Barone Scerri, a tireless advocate and fundraiser for those suffering from traumatic brain injury.On the north fork tomorrow, Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that the annual Cutchogue St. Patrick’s Day Parade, led by 14 past Grand Marshals from the parade’s 20-year history, steps off from the light on the Main Road at Cox Lane at 2 p.m. Saturday, continuing to downtown Cutchogue.Tomorrow’s weather forecast indicates conditions suitable for enjoying a St. Paddy’s Day parade –Sunny, with a high near 46 and breezy.***The future of Calverton Enterprise Park (EPCAL) remains unsettled, with litigation ...
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    10 mins
  • Sag Harbor Village launches investigation into homophobic comment from Mayor Gardella

    Sag Harbor Village launches investigation into homophobic comment from Mayor Gardella
    Mar 12 2026
    The cost of energy in the NYC metropolitan area, particularly electricity, home heating oil and natural gas, rose in February compared with a year earlier as Long Islanders and others in our region tried to stay warm in the face of unusually cold temperatures. James T. Madore reports in NEWSDAY that energy prices are up substantially more this month as the cost of gasoline climbs in response to the war in Iran, economists said yesterday, adding that pump prices weren’t a factor last month. They were down 4.3% from February 2025.The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported its energy index for the 25-county region, that includes Long Island, increased 5% in February compared with a year earlier. That’s a faster pace than January’s 2.7% but slower than December’s 6.1%. The economists said rising prices can cause consumers to reduce their spending, which in turn can hurt economic growth. Consumer spending accounts for roughly 70% of economic activity on Long Island and nationwide.The energy index, which is released with the consumer price index, tracks the cost of natural gas, electricity, home heating oil, kerosene, firewood and gasoline — but only the latter’s price is broken out, according to bureau economist Georgia Wright.Frigid temperatures and record snowfall are largely to blame for the energy index’s rise last month.The cost of fruits and vegetables also climbed 7.2% in February compared with a year earlier. Nonalcoholic beverages and household furnishings were up 7.1% and 4.8%, respectively, according to the statistics bureau.The increases were partially offset by declines in the cost of gasoline, recreation and used automobiles. Recreation was down 2.6% and used automobiles were down 3.5%.The overall price index for the New York-area rose 3.2% last month compared with February 2025. That was a faster pace than January’s 2.9%. The national index climbed at a slower rate: 2.4% in February and January, year-over-year.***The Village of Sag Harbor has launched an investigation into a comment by Mayor Thomas Gardella on social media that critics described as homophobic and for which he apologized on Tuesday.The comment was made on an Instagram video by Texas resident Rebecca Chavez, which shows her and her wife, Deanah, who has a short haircut, dancing to a song. Gardella posted a comment: “What’s that thing in the background ? A guy A girl? some creature ?” as written, appearing to refer to Deanah.After seeing Gardella’s comment, Chavez searched his name, found his status as mayor and posted a second video identifying him and encouraging people to send him emails. She told Newsday’s Alek Lewis that Gardella’s comment was "homophobic" and "horrific."Deputy Mayor Edward Haye, in a statement during Tuesday’s Sag Harbor Village Board meeting, said Gardella’s comment “disparaged members of the LGBT community."“Sag Harbor has long prided itself being a welcoming and a tolerant village, and those values deeply matter to us both as members of the village board and as residents,” Haye said. “While the comment appears to have been made on a personal social media account, it has understandably caused concern and hurt within our community.”Haye said the village board learned of Gardella’s comment on Monday. It will “be reviewed through the appropriate village processes so we … can address it thoughtfully, fairly and transparently.”After Haye’s statement, Gardella apologized. “I also would like to apologize for my many friends in the LGBT community who feel disappointed in me,” he added.“This administration holds a high standard of conduct and accountability and no one is above reproach, especially the mayor,” Gardella said.Gardella, a former village board member, was elected mayor of Sag Harbor in June 2023.Chavez said she and her wife are glad Gardella apologized and that his comments are being taken seriously by the village board through its investigation.***Join Peconic Baykeeper and Peconic Estuary Partnership for their fourth year of Winter Watershed Walk Series! This year’s series features four new and different locations around the Peconic Estuary. This coming Saturday, March 14 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. you may join them for free at Mashomack Preserve 79 S Ferry Rd on Shelter Island. The walk will be co-led with The Nature Conservancy.Driving instructions and parking details will be sent out prior to the walk. Please dress for your comfort, warm layers, hats and gloves are encouraged. Plan to meet at the trailhead and begin walks shortly after the given start time. If you are running late or can no longer attend a walk you have signed up for please let the organizers know. We will do our best to wait for all confirmed registrants.For further info and registration visit peconicbaykeeper.org***A Staten Island delivery driver was killed after the van he was driving eastbound on County Road 39 wandered into oncoming traffic last week, striking ...
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    10 mins
  • Westhampton Beach St. Patrick's Day Parade this Saturday

    Westhampton Beach St. Patrick's Day Parade this Saturday
    Mar 11 2026
    The owners of Montauk Inlet Seafood said they've seen fewer boats fueling up at the dock they own that juts into the Block Island Sound on the east end of Long Island.The cause: Higher fuel costs spurred by the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.With New York’s layered fuel taxes — although commercial fishermen can apply for refunds — it’s often cheaper and easier to fuel up in Rhode Island, said Amanda Jones, director of operations at Inlet Seafood, a fisher co-op that ships from 12 to 18 million pounds of fish per year. “Fuel is our largest operating costs, so we’re already seeing smaller margins,” Jones told NEWSDAY. “What I predict that we’ll soon see is that New York is going to see a steady decline in fish being packed [in the state].” Brianne Ledda and Victor Ocasio report in NEWSDAY that a barrel of crude oil sold for roughly $70 a barrel before the United States and Israel launched the war against Iran at the end of February — but has soared since then. Oil prices again swung sharply this week as markets continued reacting to the war, highlighting how quickly instability in global energy markets can ripple through Long Island’s economy. On Monday, crude oil spiked to nearly $120 per barrel — the highest mark since at least 2022 — before falling back to around $90 a barrel, where it remained yesterday.But the relatively high price and ongoing volatility is still creating uncertainty for fuel-dependent industries here, including fishing, farming, trucking and food distribution, according to Newsday interviews with business owners and industry leaders. Rising oil prices have a direct impact on the production and price of gas, from the regular gas that fills most cars to the diesel fuel that heavy-duty commercial vehicles, boats and farm equipment typically run on.The average price of diesel on Long Island reached $4.83 a gallon yesterday, up 90 cents compared to when the war broke out Feb. 28, according to data from AAA’s online fuel price tracker compiled by Newsday's library. The average price for regular gas on Long Island hit $3.39 yesterday, up 54 cents from $2.86 on Feb. 28. Locally, between Southampton and Bridgehampton prices ranged from $3.09 to $3.49 per gallon for unleaded regular on Tuesday.***With global conflicts, flight disruptions and travel advisories making headlines in recent weeks, some Long Islanders planning trips are taking a closer look at travel insurance.But experts say many travelers misunderstand what policies actually cover, particularly when it comes to major events like geopolitical conflict.Carissa Kellman reports in NEWSDAY that most standard travel insurance policies do not cover cancellations related to acts of war or fear of travel, and flexible upgrades like "Cancel for Any Reason" coverage are generally not available to New York residents.Travel insurance is designed to protect travelers from unexpected costs that can arise before or during a trip. The exact coverage depends on the policy, but most comprehensive plans include several common protections.These can include trip cancellation coverage, which reimburses prepaid, nonrefundable expenses if a traveler cancels for a covered reason such as illness or severe weather. Trip interruption coverage may help pay for the unused portion of a trip and the cost of returning home early if plans change unexpectedly.Policies often include trip delay coverage, which can reimburse travelers for meals, lodging or other expenses if flights are significantly delayed.Many plans also include medical coverage while traveling, payment for doctor visits, hospital stays or other treatment if a traveler becomes sick or injured. Some plans also offer emergency evacuation coverage, which can pay for transportation to the nearest adequate medical facility if needed.Travel insurance may also reimburse travelers for lost, stolen or delayed luggage, including the cost of essential items while waiting for bags to arrive.Because of New York State insurance regulations, Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) coverage is generally not available to New York residents, meaning Long Islanders typically rely on standard travel insurance plans.Those policies can still provide protection for covered situations such as illness, injury, severe weather or certain travel disruptions, but they do not offer the same flexibility as CFAR.***It’s one of the most beloved and time-honored traditions in Westhampton Beach. Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Westhampton Beach this coming Saturday, March 14, 2026, will be celebrating its 58th year, stepping off at 12 noon at the corner of Mill Road and Oneck Lane, by the Westhampton Beach Middle School, and proceeding down Mill Road, through the traffic circle near Hampton Coffee Company and the Sunset Theater, and down to the smaller traffic circle near the Westhampton Beach Post Office and Flora, then heading onto Main Street, and down Main Street ...
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    10 mins